Uprooted Palestinians are at the heart of the conflict in the M.E Palestinians uprooted by force of arms. Yet faced immense difficulties have survived, kept alive their history and culture, passed keys of family homes in occupied Palestine from one generation to the next.

Sunday, 22 January 2012

Will PSC rise to the Challenge?

As the AGM of Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) approaches, the drive to control, fragment, agitate and to steer away PSC from its fundamental core issues is at all times high.
The crusade against PSC was ignited by Zionists from outside the movement beginning in September, following an article published on the Zionist hate-website Harry's Place (HP), and a letter from the Board of Deputies of British Jews” (BODBJ), accusing PSC and its branches of publishing anti-Semitic articles and linking to Holocaust denial websites, which arguably is a crude lie. However, the crusade was sustained, promoted and amplified by insiders with questionable loyalty, who roam freely within the Palestine solidarity movement.

Following those attacks and demands by BOD of British Jews, certain elements inside the solidarity movement picked up where Zionists stopped. Since then they have initiated a campaign of defamation against Palestinian activists (including myself) and numerous other supporters.

The smear and defamation campaign, ignited by BODBJ and its mouthpiece HP, is destined to divide and curtail the Palestine solidarity movement. It shrouds itself with a veneer of “ethicality” by invoking bogus concerns about “racism”, while the result is the expulsion of anti-racist activists including Palestinians, and the fragmentation of the Palestine solidarity movement at large, its campaigns being debased, its efficiency being crippled.

The paragraph below is only one piece of evidence that some alleged supporters of Palestine have indeed been engaging in gossip and spreading defamation, rumours and lies. It is but one example of the appalling consequences of such behaviour.
“In Liverpool a Palestinian activist, Nahida, who was once the mainstay of the group, changedalmost overnightwhen she married a sinister Dutchman. Jewish conspiracies took over her life and it was with difficulty that the branch reclaimed its website, which had posted links to her anti-Semitic website (‘Spiders Web’).” Tony Greenstein.

In his latest defamation article, Mr. Greenstein extends his attacks to include yet another Palestinian with this defamatory claim:

"In Liverpool the Friends of Palestine website was taken over by a holocaust denier"

Or another example is his use of insulting expletives in lieu of factual arguments:

"At the AGM there is also a not very clever motion from Gill Kaffash .... It is a stupid motion from the stupid."

The aim of such vicious crusades, of course, is to discredit the research of those who dig deeper, and to control the boundaries of debate by shooting at those who dare to cross the line. As it appears, no one is "allowed" to investigate neither the deeper ideological motives nor the networks enabling Zionists crimes. No Palestinian is "allowed" to express more assertively the true voice of their people and their deeply anchored aspirations of FULL Liberation.In this example,Tony Greenstein never met and never had contact with the people he is smearing. He uses lies and fabrications about their private life, to execute ad hominem attacks against them, and to propagate libellous accusations of anti Semitism and Holocaust denial against them. Obviously he has been fed with rumours, which as his blog shows, he never fails to transform in unreadable ramblings. .

I would have assumed that in all logic such attacks from external enemies and their internal contributors, would reinforce the cohesion of the movement, by a reflex of protection. What we see instead, is the disturbing reality of utter silence of other members, or even explicit approval of the attacks by the failure to reject them and sanctioning those who engage in such attacks. The occupiers and enemies of Palestine must be happy and indeed grateful, since the damage to the Palestinian solidarity movement in the UK is already substantial. Suffice to look at the nonsensical amendments and motions put forward, the waste of time and effort, and the harmful evictions and alienation of scores of members and potential members.

Such abhorrent behaviour is allowed to continue within the movement with the compliance of decent members who have swallowed the lies and let them pass unchallenged without demanding thorough investigations of such offence, and without firm rejection, chastisement or sanctions against guilty elements who took part in such smear campaign

As they exclude more and more Palestinians through their defamatory campaign, as they rally themselves up and down the country to attend the AGM, and as they strengthen their position within by appointing themselves as political guides and censors of the solidarity movement; Mr. Greenstein and his clique expose their determination to take over PSC and to define its aims.

It is nothing but deliberate Controlled Opposition, when such individuals silence Palestinians and capture the levers of decision as to what is good for Palestinians, and what is not, and what aims to pursue, and what aims need to be smothered. Has the Palestinian voice not been smothered enough already, after a century of Zionism? Does it not appear evident that post-Zionism is preparing itself to do exactly the same? Why would a campaign who claims itself to be in solidarity with Palestinians, betray the noble aim of enabling Palestinians to freely express their Legitimate and Sovereign Rights?

He writes: "On Saturday there will be one motion on anti-Semitism and racism on the agenda from the National Executive. A motion from Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi and myself, which called for more internal education on Zionism, has been amended and accepted by the Executive."

It is disturbing when the likes of Mr. Greenstein, -who sticks the accusatory label “anti-Semite” (i.e. racist) on whomever disagrees with his views, and who introduces to PSC redundant motions to emphatically re-reject Judeophobic racism and to emphasize yet again on “anti-Semitism”, feels vindicated to surreptitiously collaborate with the incitement of racial and religious hatred against Muslims, when for example he spreads blatant lies against the Islamic Resistance Movements Hamas, and even about the Qur'an, thus joining the ranks of Islamophobes when he propagates such hateful unsubstantiated claim:

"the Quoran also have passages that are chauvinist and today, in the context of state policy, would undoubtedly be deemed racist"

Moreover, Mr. Greenstein, the avid "anti-racist", finds no shame in propagating Islamophobia by attacking the religion of Islam as whole and publicly participating in division, fomenting hatred and incitement against Muslims by arrogantly pretending that:

"Islam has introduced sectarianism into the Palestinian movement and has nothing to offer but further division"

Imagine for a moment someone writing: "Judaism has introduced sectarianism into the Palestinian movement and has nothing to offer but further division", one can only imagine the outbursts of wrath, fury, outrage and accusation that would follow, by Mr. Greenstein and co.

With the acceptance of such methods; whereby the defamers give themselves the right to DEFINE the meaning of words like racist, anti-Semite and Holocaust denier, then they allow themselves to ACCUSE, LABEL and DEFAME others with such titles, without any proof or evidence, and without allowing the accused to defend him/her self, they demand the excommunication of those accused and even aim to remove the right of appeal against such accusation, justice becomes a joke!

Regrettably, PSC has exhibited signs of moral fatigue by allowing some of its members to engage in such Zionist-style methods of operation by:

Meddling in private affairs of members and using slander and defamation as a political tool (as seen from the writing of Tony Greenstein).

The use of the label “Anti-Semitism” as a political tool. By branding those they disagree with, with charges of racism and anti-Semitism (Racism is unlawful according to British law). Completely dismissing the seriousness and the gravity of such allegation, they (carelessly or malevolently) have accused other activists of committing an unlawful offence.

Furthermore, PSC and some of its branches failed in the following:

Evading to address the defamation against its members;

Escaping the responsibility of launching an investigation to uncover the guilty elements;

Failing to understand the real meaning of racism;

Failing to identify the REAL racist;

Failing to sanction/punish guilty members who engaged in such libellous acts;

Failing to apologise to accused individuals for the harm and damages caused.

It has become increasingly apparent that some clique inside the solidarity movement, under the pretext of “fighting anti-Semitism”, are engaged in hijacking, deforming and sidetracking the solidarity movement from supporting the Palestinian people and their cause of Liberation, and instead pushing PSC into morphing into yet another ADL, "witch-hunting" and "book-burning" organization.

Tragically, the excessive and inappropriate use of the word "anti-Semite", by the likes of ADL (who have their very own definition of the word), and the same pathetic use that has been adopted by some elements inside the solidarity movement -who just like ADL, claim the exclusive right to define the meaning of words and the boundaries of debate, such excessive use by Zionists and anti-Zionist alike, and As I warned before, they have managed to make the word vacuous, meaningless and even a nuisance.

Those whose main concern is to educate people about the Holocaust, thus enabling Zionists to continue to use and abuse it, in what Dr Finkelstein correctly calls the “Holocaust industry”, should NOT do so on the back and expense of Palestinian and their solidarity movement.

Those interested in bickering and infighting -which only weakens the solidarity movement, would feel more at home working here or even here far and away from our Movement.

People with such divergent aims should stop imposing their agenda on others, and leave PSC to do what it was created for, SUPPORTING PALESTINIANS IN THEIR STRUGGLE FOR LIBERATION.

Diverting PSC from its main aims does not serve the cause of Palestine or the Palestinians.

Henceforth,

I call upon PSC and all genuine supporters of Palestine to put an end to this fiasco;

I call upon PSC and all genuine supporters of Palestine to have the courage to stop slanderers and liars from hijacking the solidarity movement, dragging it down and turning it into a bickering stage of accusations and counter-accusations;

I call upon PSC and all genuine supporters of Palestine to have the dignity and cease to alienate/ expel exiled Palestinians by phoney, uncorroborated and unsolicited claims and defamatory allegations;

I call upon PSC and all genuine supporters of Palestine not to allow itself to be steered away from its original aims of supporting the oppressed Palestinians and to stay focused on the daily slaughter of Palestinians.

I call upon PSC and all genuine supporters of Palestine to remember that Palestinians have NOTHING to do with the Holocaust, yet they have been paying the price for it since before it actually even happened!

I call upon PSC and all genuine supporters of Palestine to remember that they are not an association of historians, and ought not to be distracted by the obsession about an historical event that ended almost seven decades ago, instead of focusing on the ongoing genocide against Palestinians and the destruction of their Biblical Land;

I call upon PSC and all genuine supporters of Palestine to rescue itself from being diverted into nonsensical, useless, fruitless, endless debates, which irremediably lead to unnecessary infighting, thus wasting and crippling the movement;

I call upon PSC and all genuine supporters of Palestine to remember that the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian population, and the annexation of their country, has been almost completed while we respond with deference to people whose prime interest is obviously not the restoration of Palestine, or the Rights of Palestinians.

I call upon PSC and all genuine supporters of Palestine not to allow itself to be misguided and hoodwinked even from comprehending and recognizing of the meaningand manifestation of racism and the real definition of an anti-Semite, Hasn't the anti-Semitic charge been abused and trivialized enough?

I call upon PSC and all genuine supporters of Palestine not to become deafened by big-mouthed detractors, or blinded by glittery definitions coiled by deception, so as it fails to identify the REAL RACISTS who are worthy to be rejected and fought against.

Finally, I call upon PSC and all genuine supporters of Palestine to take a firm action against malicious trouble-makers, and to expel those who engage in unsubstantiated defamation of other activists.

Their agenda includes the preparation and facilitation of a prosperous and secure future for the planners, authors and perpetrators of our NAKBA.

They blather about road maps, about deleting the green-line while coercing the Palestinians to forget their inalienable rights to their Historic Palestine.

They aim to deceive Palestinians and the world to accept the terrorists, colonizers, war-criminals, thieves and murderers who occupied Palestine since 1948, they want to promote them as "civilised" "peaceful", humane", "Jewish", "peace-loving" "Israelis", who should have the same right to the Land of Palestine as Palestinians do!

It is not up to a Netanyahu, Schneerson, or Lieberman, and sure NOT for a Semoff, a Dropkin or a Greenstein to decide for us about the future of our Homeland; it's not for them to decide what is good for Palestine and what is not, who is allowed to stay and who is not, or who is to be summoned, charged, prosecuted or punished for their decades of genocide and war crimes and who is not.

True friends of Palestine appreciate that ultimately, only Palestinians are entitled to make such decisions, especially after decades of relentless slow genocide. Palestinians are entitled to use whatever appropriate methods of resistance, legal, intellectual, or otherwise to achieve their long-lost Liberty.

True friends of Palestine realize that it is the fundamental and intrinsic core of the Palestinian National Rights, to define, express and publish concepts such as the unhindered Right to Return, Restitution AND Compensation, Liberation of the occupied Homeland, unrestricted Sovereignty including over Immigration Policies, Prosecution of Criminals, etc. Those who smother these fundamental Rights, contribute to the finalization of the Zionist project, itself representing the total negation of all bases of Law, in particular pertaining to Crimes Against Humanity, Wars of Aggression, War Crimes, and ironically, the negation of the Post-WW2 Nuremberg Principles, especially the sixth principle, which were wisely crafted to precisely avoid such horrors to happen again.

My prime concern has always been the cause of Palestine and the Palestinians’ inalienable Human Right of Self-Determination in their own ancestral Land, which they inhabit and protect since thousands of years, continuously. The voice of Palestinians is barely heard in the West. Therefore, those whose aim is to muffle the voice, block the research, contain the freedom and veil the views of Palestinians cannot be truly friends of Palestine.

Real friends are those who want to keep the solidarity movement on the right track, focused on Palestine and the Liberation of Palestine.
Hereby, as a Palestinian exiled from my home for more than 44 years, I affirm my right and the right of my people to aspire to the Liberation of our Homeland and to pursue the intellectual means that will help to achieve that goal, moreover since this goal is the strict reassertion of Human Rights and International Law.

I affirm my right to continue my investigations into the role of global Jewish Zionist networks through their many facets, institutions and organizations supporting, sustaining and propagating the cause of the Zionist entity.

I affirm my right to continue investigating the supremacist ideology that animates the entire Israeli-settler society and to expose its consequences on Palestinians, and beyond.

I affirm my right to continue my activism, to share the results of my work and to connect with people who want to learn about Palestine, without being defamed, censored or chastised by self-appointed gurus.

I affirm my right to defend my reputation and the reputation of my fellow human beings who are wrongfully accused and defamed, and to stand up to those who cause harm to the cause of Palestine, those who use ad hominem attacks, defamation and slander as a political tool to muffle and excommunicate their opponents.

I affirm my right to continue to expose those elements who try to achieve deleterious political aims by controlling and crippling the Palestinian solidarity movement, through the use of debate framing, information filtering, and eviction of activists who step outside the narrow boundaries set by these elements to keep the opposition constricted and limited in its scope and efficiency.

Finally, I call upon the Solidarity Campaign NOT fall prey to such manipulation conducted by individuals with ulterior motives and compromised loyalty who appointed themselves to be in charge of the flow of information, to control the direction of the Palestinian solidarity and to push it towards the acceptance of “soft” yet final and permanent colonization of Palestine, thus to steer it away from its prime objective; the unconditional support of Palestinians and their quest for Full Liberation.

2 comments:

" Such abhorrent behaviour is allowed to continue within the movement with the compliance of decent members who have swallowed the lies and let them pass unchallenged without demanding thorough investigations of such offence, and without firm rejection, chastisement or sanctions against guilty elements who took part in such smear campaign"

Hi Nahida, I think you're seriously overestimating the awareness of such things amongst the wider PSC membership. I only know about these things from Gilad's newsletter and from Tony Greenstein's blog, not exactly big circulation outlets.

I have some time for Tony Greenstein, but I have to agree with you that his constant calls for people to be silenced fall right into the category of behaviour that Chomsky outlined in the essay that was appropriated for the intro to a book by Faurisson: (roughly) " the left is still too attached to Stalinist and totalitarian methods..."

And for what seems to be down to long-standing acquaintance there seems to be far too much indulgence for Tony and his cohorts with PSC = I think! And the 'I think' is the crucial part, because like most PSC members, my relationship with the centre is just one of paying subs and receiving a mag (which seems little better than a vanity publication). Illness makes it difficult for me to get involved in my local branch, so I don't know if these matters are discussed there; but they're certainly not discussed in the PSC literature or on its website. And who is there to even write to about these matters? who would I write to to demand investigations? I'm not even sure of the circumstances, the rules - who took the decision to expel who under what mandate...

But I'm not happy about it. I accept that officers of PSC, in the course of PSC business, should restrict themselves to the core business of PSC, and as far as I can see PSC members have been quite fastidious about that.

I have some time for Gilad Atzmon too, but I don't think the areas he goes into are appropriate for PSC to go into. But that's quite a different matter from insisting that PSC members should have to fall in with an approved menu of opinion 'off-duty' as it were.

In fact, I really object to being asked to 'affirm the Holocaust' - I regard even the term 'Holocaust' to amount to a privileging of jewish suffering (Tony Greenstein says as much himself). As you say, PSC should stick to the job in hand. Anti-semitism and the holocaust are someone else's job.

I have to respect whoever keeps PSC going for at least doing that much ( it's more than I do), but it has always seemed a damp squib to me,as if it want to remain a secret in case it attracts antisemites.